Home by Dark. Marta Perry
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a shotgun, but whether he really did or not is another question. That might have been Benj’s guilty conscience imagining things.”
“He does feel guilty, doesn’t he?” She grasped on that part of his words. “That’s good, I think. Maybe it will discourage him from doing anything so foolish again.”
“Maybe.” Knowing teenage boys he doubted it, but let her hold on to her illusions. “And the man could have had a gun. It would be a rare house around here that didn’t have a hunting weapon of some sort. And someone hearing prowlers on his property might well carry one to investigate.”
Rachel nodded, a shudder going through her. “Benj should have realized that sort of thing might be dangerous. Why on earth would he sneak out like that?”
“Because the older kid asked him, or maybe dared him, and he had to show what a man he was.” He could remember more than a few instances when he’d fallen for similar temptation. “Somebody once dared me to raid Franklin Sitler’s apple trees, and I was stupid enough to do it. That old man can move faster than you’d think. He took off after me with a BB gun, and I was lucky to escape a peppering. Not so lucky when my dad found out, though.”
Dad hadn’t been one to spare the rod and spoil the child in those days, but hearing his father accuse him of stealing had hurt worse than any physical punishment.
Rachel actually smiled at that, but then she sobered just as quickly. “Mr. Sitler has that reputation.” Rachel glanced toward the front of the house, as if she could see through the walls to the house across the street. “If they trespassed on his property—”
Colin snorted. “Trespassed? They were planning more than that, believe me. Some sort of vandalism, or I miss my guess.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe Benj would be involved in vandalism. He knows that’s wrong.”
“Of course he does. There’d be no fun in doing it otherwise.” The expression on her face made him dial it back. Now was not the time to tell her about the things he and Ronnie used to get into. “Look, this business about Will Esch disappearing—that’s what bothers me. Benj didn’t seem to know what to really think about it, just that it scares him.”
“Running off is all part of rumspringa for some boys. They think they have to see a little of the Englisch world before they settle down. At least, with him out of the way, Benj won’t be getting into any more trouble.”
He hated to burst her bubble, but he had to. “Benj doesn’t see it that way. He’s acting even jumpier than he did before. And that’s why you ought to let your dad handle it.”
“I know. I know.” Rachel’s eyes were filled with misery. “But you heard Benj. He’s more frightened of disappointing Daad than of whatever it is he’s gotten involved in. Believe me, I know that feeling.”
He reached out, clasping her hand where it lay on the table. “I’m sorry. He still hasn’t forgiven you?”
Rachel shook her head, looking down at the maple surface of the table, probably to hide the fact that there were tears in her eyes. She took a breath so deep he could see her chest rise and fall. “I promised Benj. I know it wasn’t a smart promise to make, but I can’t let him down. If I tell Daad, Benj will never forgive me.”
“Right. And if you keep his secret and your father finds out, he’ll never forgive you.”
She nodded, not looking up. She seemed to have forgotten that he was holding her hand.
“Well, I guess there’s just one thing for it, then.” He forced some cheerfulness into his voice. “I guess we’ll have to find out for ourselves how serious this business is.”
She did look up at that, and she drew her hand away from his. “We?” The spark came back into her voice and her face. “I don’t recall asking for your help.”
“You forget, Benj told me as well as you. That means I’m in.”
She shook her head firmly. “I’ll try to get Benj to tell me more, and I’ll question my sisters and see if they have any notion of what he was up to. There’s nothing you can do.”
“Sure there is. I can find out if anyone’s been complaining about vandalism, for one thing. If a homeowner chased off a bunch of kids, he’ll be talking about it.”
Alarm filled her face. “You won’t let on that Benj is involved.”
“What do you take me for? No, never mind, don’t answer that.” He already knew what she thought of him, and he didn’t need to hear it again. “I’ll be subtle. If we could find out where Will Esch went...”
He pondered, turning over possibilities in his mind. Trouble was, the Amish tended to stay off the grid. There was no easy way to trace an Amish kid who wanted to vanish.
“One of my sisters might know what the other kids are saying. They’re more likely to know than the adults.” Rachel was looking better for having a plan for what to do about Benj’s trouble.
“Good idea.” He hesitated, wanting to touch her reassuringly but thinking he’d better not push it. “We’ll figure it out. Try not to worry.”
She nodded, managing a faint smile. “Thank you, Colin. I’m not sure why you’re taking so much trouble over this, but thank you.”
He did touch her then, just a quick, feather-light brush of his knuckles against her hand. It was a tenuous truce between them, one that could collapse at a breath. But he’d take what he could get where Rachel was concerned, it seemed.
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